General Elections 53 – 17 September 2019
Heique Maria António Sitoe, Renamo candidate for national parliament for Gaza province,was arrested in Manjacaze yesterday (16 September) after he posted a message on his Facebook page criticizing police misconduct during the election campaign. “The campaign in Mandlakazi is being marred by police misconduct. Members of political parties are being threatened by the police, which makes it clear that the police are Frelimo,” he wrote on Sunday (15 September).
Sitoe was arrested for abuse of authorities for his harsh criticism of the police, and his arrest and jailing was confirmed by the Manjacaze District Court today, according to Mouzinho Gama, the head of the Renamo list in Gaza.
The detention of a Sitoe violates the electoral law (Law 2/2019 of 31 May, art 15) which states that no candidate for parliament may be subject to preventive detention except for a felony offense punishable by a major prison sentence.
Renamo alleges that the police refuse to take action against Frelimo members persecuting Renamo members, and now refuse to be escorted by the police during campaign activities in Manjacaze.
